Vote forces review of public safety options

After last week's overwhelming defeat at the polls, where voters turned down a new $27.5 million public safety complex, town officials are working to solve the problem of replacing the outdated firehouse and police station.

After being passed by a voice vote at April's Annual Town Meeting, voters said "no" by a 2-1 margin to the ballot question, which asked for a $27.5 million capital override to build the public safety complex to house the police, fire and sheriff's departments at 2 Fairgrounds Road.

Members of the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Libby Gibson, Police Chief Bill Pittman and Fire Chief Mark McDougall plan to hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks to develop a plan to move forward.

The town, police and fire department administrators said the public safety facility must be built and are considering revisiting the $27.5 million plan after a full-scale campaign to educate the public.

"We don't really have a plan because Town Meeting had given us permission to (build the complex)," said Pittman.

Pittman stressed that a new building would have to be built at some point, whether the voters approved a less expensive option, or the town was forced to do so because of litigation relating to the existing South Water Street police station.

"There have been, over the last couple of years, some grievances the union has had, lack of locker space for the female officers, that they have held off on because of the new facility," said Pittman. "Before, the defense was 'the new building, the new building.' Now, we don't have that defense."

"I don't think anyone denies we need a new police station," said Selectmen vice chair Patty Roggeveen. "We're going to go back to (Pittman and McDougall) and talk about options. I think it's going to be an interesting discussion. Was it a bad idea or just too expensive? That is what we are going to have to wrap our heads around."

Voters also did not fund a request for a new fire engine which was incorporated in a $5.5 million omnibus spending request.

"I'm going to have to put in for it again next year and keep doing it until I get it replaced," said McDougall. "It's up and running now after we replaced parts, but the problem is it tends to break down when we're putting it under stress, which for a fire engine, is when we obviously need it the most."

McDougall hoped to replace 13- year-old Engine Four, which broke down in April, during a brush fire off Somerset Lane, temporarily blocking access to the blaze before being towed away.

Selectmen need to investigate the status of the $4 million Nantucket County Sheriff Richard Bretschneider pledged to help build the public safety complex.

"I have not heard about the Sheriff's cash," said Board of Selectmen chair Michael Kopko. "I believe there is some sort of time frame given by the County Government Finance Review Board on when we need to use the money. I believe it's a year plus, so we've got some time to try and get the project off the ground."

Bretschneider confirmed the funds are earmarked for the public safety complex and are in reserve until 2011.

"My understanding is the funds we pledged stay with the town until either construction begins or 2011," said Bretschneider.

Bretschneider also said $1 million of the money pledged is designated for the construction of a joint dispatch communications system and will be used for that purpose regardless of the status of the new public safety facility. i